Becoming An Expert

If you're reading this, chances are you've been trying to crack the rating threshold to finally claim the "expert" title. This series is designed to help you do just that. Learn from one of chess' most accomplished coaches what it takes to reach that expert level. GM Melik Khachiyan is the perfect teacher to teach you the best calculation and positional practices.

Becoming an Expert — Part 1: Attack with Pawns!Khachiyan launches his new video series this weekend! This video lecture is designed to help the majority of our members reach a commonly shared goal: Become a chess expert! Each video in this series will tackle a specific topic, but today's lecture should help you to understand why dynamics are more important than the material count in the middlegame. What does that even mean? Watch and find out!

Becoming an Expert — Part 2: Attack with Pieces!In our second installment, Khachiyan is focusing on the maneuvers of pieces — rather than pawns. Proper maneuvers are essential in order to develop a successful attack. The classical principle is to make sure that each one of your pieces serves a purpose in the assault. There's no better example than the battle between Veselin Topalov and Vladimir Kramnik.

Becoming an Expert — Part 3: Kasparov's Rxc3!In this infamous Najdorf English Attack game, former world champion Garry Kasparov delivered a powerful exchange sacrifice that changed the way people felt about an entire variation! Khachiyan reviews it for us and highlights all the attacking principles. Khachiyan also discusses how to evaluate pieces subjectively versus objectively. Enjoy!

Becoming an Expert — Part 4: Petrosian Attacks!In this epic battle between two legendary chess heavyweights (and former world champs), we see an excellent example of how to attack when the kings are castled on opposite sides of the board! "Who says Petrosian was not a good attacker or tactician?" asks today's instructor, Khachiyan. After watching this display of amazing tactics, initiative, intuition, and timing, it's hard to argue...

Becoming an Expert — Part 5: Bad Calculation 1Today we learn the element of surprise! Khachiyan reviews his own game with New Mexico's top player, Lior Lapid, and in doing so, he highlights the importance of knowing what your opponent wants to achieve, anticipating it, and then surprising him with an "unexpected approach." Khachiyan also discusses how to play against the Grand Prix Attack in the Closed Sicilian.

Becoming an Expert — Part 6: Bad Calculation 2 In this highly instructive installment, Khachiyan reviews critical moments from the games Anand vs Kasparov, Timman vs Karpov, and Radjabov vs Kasparov. Finally, he leaves us with a homework assignment to see whether or not we learned anything from the mistakes of those great players! Enjoy!

Becoming an Expert — Part 7: Kramnik's Center!Your next goal is to learn to dominate the center! Here Khachiyan reviews an interesting battle between Kramnik and Leko, highlighting Kramnik's aggressive "outbursts" in the center. Khachiyan once again shows that square control and activity is much more important than material. Watch as Kramnik puts Leko away with a brilliant attack!

Becoming an Expert — Part 8: Kramnik's Center 2!We review the play of one of Khachiyan's personal favorite players of all time: the positional and technical mastermind, former world champion Vladimir Kramnik! He discusses a complicated middlegame position that Kramnik played against rival, Veselin Topalov. He also highlights how Kramnik used a dynamic approach to deal with his issues and maintain a strong center.

Becoming an Expert — Part 9: Using Open Files!In the final video lecture of this series, Khachiyan displays several instructive examples of "full board control" and the importance of taking away key squares from your opponent. We start with Bronstein's brilliant Qc5 that lead to a nice win over Boleslavsky; then Khachiyan moves onto a nice game by Geller before finally assigning a final homework for you. Enjoy!